“Feed the pig,” or fear the pig?

or fear the pig?

Is it just me, or is there something eerie about that “Feed the Pig” ad campaign? I totally appreciate the thriftiness message behind the spots from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, but the mascot scares the bejesus out of me. Allegedly known as Benjamin Bankes, he’s merely meant to be a friendly representation of a piggybank. Instead, with his pink suit, his three-fingered, “hoofy” hands and that knowing smile, he looks more like a potential serial killer from the Island of Dr. Moreau. Plus, he apparently stalks people and shows up without warning:



He’s not even a funny pig man, like the one Kramer thought he saw on “Seinfeld,” but a scary one, like the cello-playing porcine humanoid in the “Mr. Krinkle” video from Primus or the hog-masked chainsaw killer in Motel Hell. Maybe the ads have a subliminal message that runs contrary to the stated one. Since Americans are being encouraged to spend as much as possible to resist the economic slump, maybe it’s a good thing to be frightened of our piggy banks.